Panhandle Scanner News

Scanner traffic indicated a grass fire just around midnight, County Road 26, County Road S, Minatare. Several pages went out including a request for mutual aid from Scotts Bluff Rural Fire Protection District.
 
Speaking of fires, a lot of cities have made decisions on the fireworks ban for this year, although some cities and counties have not yet posted their decisions. Those we do know about that have said no, for sure, to fireworks this year are Crawford, Hemingford, Harrison, Gordon, Alliance, and Kimball. For sure, at this time, there may be more. Check our Facebook page to find out more as that list grows. Some cities and counties, like Rushville in Sheridan County, have not put out any information yet. We expect to see something from all of the counties very soon.
 
If you're a fan of the Pony Express, stay tuned to Panhandle Scanner for the exact time in which that rider and pony will be at the Scotts Bluff National Monument in Gearing. Anticipated arrival time is 4 p.m., but there is a GPS tracker live on the horse, and you can track them on their way. Visit our page at Panhandle Scanner and click the tab Resources for that Pony Express tracker.
 
The Gering City Band will be playing tonight as well at 7.30 p.m. in the Gering City Park. Be sure to go enjoy some relaxing music from the Gering City Band tonight at 7.30 p.m.
 
Two big events coming up July 17th and 18th, that's Tabor Days July 17th and 18th, and then July 18th, the Cheyenne County Fair begins. Lots on our calendar for the future, so stay tuned to Panhandle Scanner for more.

Well, the talk of the town is definitely the fireworks decisions. Those are really heating up the conversations. A lot of confusion has come between jurisdictions. Rural versus city limits. Statewide rules versus local rules. A fire ban versus a fireworks ban. So much confusion. Red flag warnings, fire bans, and fireworks bans.
 
What are the differences and how do they relate? Due to the recent confusion in the Scotts Bluff County Commissioner's meeting over whether or not they could actually vote to not allow fireworks has prompted a call to the governor's office. Local businesswoman Lindsey Lewis of Off the Water at Lake Minatare contacted the Governor's office along with Senator Brian Hardin's office about amending the current legislation to include fireworks in the verbiage. We're told through Lindsey that Commissioner Mike Blue, after evaluating the legislative process and the current legislation, stated that they were not actually allowed to vote against the fireworks.
 
That's why you saw three county commissioners overturning the ban. They claimed that without state legislation changing it would have been a or illegal for them to declare a ban. So much confusion and now it's our job to sort it out. We will be writing an article on Panhandle Scanner for each town and their decision in the Panhandle. In our own online poll, over 4,000 people have voted in the first 24 hours with 89 percent of the public believing that fireworks should be banned for 2026 in the Panhandle of Nebraska. Follow that news story on Panhandlescanner.com or our Facebook page by the same name.

(CRAWFORD, Neb.) -- There is some good news up north. Northwest Nebraska is thrilled to announce that Fort Robinson State Park is back open on a limited basis. All fort lodging and camping, the fort restaurant, the trailside museum, the history center and historical buildings, the post playhouse theater, historical tours and fishing at the ponds are all open. There is still active firefighting going on however. Please do not impede response vehicles, monitor conditions and road closures and respect road and trail signs. 
 
(ALLIANCE, Neb.) -- If you haven't heard, there's been a third arrest in the Ebram Sifuentes murder case. Nebraska State Patrol investigators released additional information in the case that led to a third arrest. Last September, investigators arrested Tamara Bingham on multiple charges including first-degree murder related to the homicide of Ebram Sifuentes. He was found deceased in rural Box Butte County. Investigators also arrested Matthew Landreth as an accessory to a felony. Then on June 11th, investigators performed a search warrant at a location in rural Sheridan County and subsequently arrested Ruby Bingham, Tamara's mother, on charges of tampering with physical evidence, unlawful disposal of human remains and accessory to a felony.
 
(GERING, Neb.) -- In regional news, the Pony Express is off and on their way to Nebraska. Stay tuned for that route information and more on Panhandle Scanner. They should be at the Scotts Bluff National Monument on Thursday around 4 pm.
 
(EDWARDS AFB, Calif.) -- In national news, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber disintegrated into nothingness shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California yesterday. We along with others are finding it hard to believe that there was so little left of that airplane from the video available to the public. For that story and more, you can always visit our news page at panhandlescanner.com or our Facebook page by the same name.

I-80 travelers, please be advised that both eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 80 at Potter will be closed Tuesday, June 16th, for bridge work. Traffic in both directions will be diverted onto the on and off ramps at the Potter Interchange throughout the day. Motorists should expect delays. Please reduce speeds in the work zone and use caution while traveling through the area. That's the Potter Exchange on I-80, closed in both directions Tuesday all day. Detours will be provided. 
 
The winner has been announced for our second quarter 2026 Favorite Local Small Business in the Panhandle. And would you look at that, from the small town of Hay Springs, Nebraska, we present your choice for the second quarter award. Congratulations to Farm to Family Cooperative, a small hometown citizen-owned grocery store in Hay Springs. 
 
On Saturday, Lyman-Kiowa Fire Department responded to a fire at County Road 10 and County Road F. In fact, that's where the scanner call came from originally, but there were multiple fires along the highway there, suspected to be caused by a chain that was dragging and improperly attached. Please remember, in any trailering situation, to secure your chain and your hitch properly.
 
Around 7.52 p.m., scanner traffic indicated a manhunt for an individual in a wooded area near Bushnell. 23 minutes later, scanner traffic indicated one individual, 10-15, in custody or under arrest. 
 
For all these stories and more, be sure to visit our page at Panhandle Scanner on Facebook or our website by the same name, Panhandlescanner.com. 

At 10 o'clock yesterday morning, Keith County was paged for two children in a raft that had gotten blown into Lake McConaughey between beach axis 13 and 14. Keystone-Lemoyne Fire, Ogallala Fire, Keith County Sheriff's Office, and Keith County EMS all responded. Keystone-Lemoyne Fire Department launched two marine craft and picked up both young men in the raft just southwest of Arthur Bay about the middle of the lake. They were both wearing life jackets and were very glad to see the rescue boat pull up. Both were exhausted and hypothermic.
 
We had a disturbing call come across scanner traffic yesterday afternoon in Alliance. Scanner traffic indicated a gunshot wound. And around that same time, eyewitnesses were reporting to us that several police vehicles were speeding down Mississippi Avenue. Eventually, they found the individual at 6th and Grand. And unfortunately, the self-inflicted wound was fatal. Our prayers for that situation in Alliance and for all mental health crisis.
 
Seems there have been quite a few mushroom busts lately. The drug known as psilocybin has been the talk of several departments lately. Lancaster County Sheriff's Deputy Houchin recently gave a press conference on the young man who took some illegally enhanced gummies and ended up in a coma for two days. He didn't say exactly what substance that was in the gummies, but it was likely psilocybin.
 
Recently, a Scottsbluff business was busted for selling illegal mushrooms. Read more about that story on our Facebook page at Panhandle Scanner or on our news page at PanhandleScanner.com.
 
And don't forget our brand new Morrill County Scanner page. If you're interested in news for Morrill County, Nebraska, be sure to follow it at Morrill County Scanner.

We do have a few decisions that have been finalized for the fireworks this year. Many people are concerned about that due to the wildfires that are currently raging across Nebraska. But in City Council news, we do know four decisions have been made so far for local towns. Scottsbluff, Gearing, and Morrill have said yes to fireworks, and Potter has said no.
 
Please see our Facebook page or our news page for those exact times and dates. As you all know, that South Fork fire is raging near Crawford and Harrison. As of this morning, the fire is at 23,000 acres, per the perimeter uploaded to the National Interagency Fire Center.
 
Evacuations are in order for Fort Robinson State Park in Dawes County and the area west of Dodd Road and south of Cottonwood Road. Those are evacuation orders, with evacuation warnings set for residences south of Highway 20 to Four Mile Road in Sioux County and residents in the city of Crawford. You are under evacuation warning. Be ready to leave at any moment. Evacuees are directed to Chadron, Alliance, and Scotts Bluff. Find more about this story on panhandlescanner.com. 
 
And look for our new Morrill County Scanner. Special thanks to Bridget Lehman for taking over the reins there. Look forward to more uncontrolled media coverage from Morrill County on Morrill County Scanner. Website coming soon. In the meantime, be sure to follow that Facebook page, Morrill County Scanner. 
 
And don't forget our public record every Monday through Friday, when available. All on Panhandle Scanner.

A very busy day yesterday for Panhandle Scanner admins. So much activity that we've hired two new admins.
 
This is a big announcement for Morrill County. Starting today, you will see a new page on Facebook for Morrill County Scanner. And for more improved local weather and news coverage in the Scottsbluff and Gearing area, we've hired another local reporter.
 
Welcome to both Bridget and Cody and a big show of appreciation for our primary admin, Tim Mendez. Yesterday, Timothy was very busy tracking the South Fork Fire near Crawford. According to the Watch Duty app, the fire is just under 9,000 acres per the perimeter uploaded to the National Interagency Fire Center or NIFC.
 
The South Fork Fire has crossed Nebraska Highway 20 and is moving southeast. The highway is currently closed. US 20 between Main Street and Harrison and Nebraska 71 near Crawford is impassable per Nebraska 511.
 
US Forest Service and local volunteer fire departments began the initial attack on the South Fork Fire yesterday around 4 45 p.m. in the area of Soldier Creek Wilderness in the Nebraska National Forest Pine Ridge Ranger District. And don't forget our public record every Monday through Friday when available. And of course our Look Who's Hiring section and our community calendar all on panhandlescanner.com. For more fire coverage and the rest of our stories, please visit panhandlescanner.com or our Facebook page by the same name.
 

Well, our big story overnight was the flooding that occurred north of Bayard on L62A. That's the link that goes from the North Bayard Junction to the Angora Hill Junction, a very vital roadway that is now closed due to major flooding last night.
 
We issued a flash flood warning at 8.09 p.m., but by just after 10 p.m., a major water rescue was underway on L-62A. According to the Bayard Fire Department, County Road 83 is also closed, as well as Roads 104 and 106 due to one or more bridges out. Many roads north of Highway 26, L-62A, and east of CR-73 are also impassable, or nearly so.
 
Stay tuned to Panhandle Scanner today for news on that reopening.
 
In other Scanner traffic, around 8.30 p.m., a two-vehicle accident was reported, with a family of three being transported to Regional West Medical Center with minor injuries.
 
In the 9 p.m. hour, Nebraska State Patrol and Kimball County Sheriff's Office had one female 10-15 after a 10-6 PC or probable cause search turned up code 3572. For those codes, check our website at panhandlescanner.com under Resources. Her vehicle was towed from the scene, and the Nebraska State Patrol transported one male 10-12, or non-arrested subject, also to the jail.
 
For all these stories and more, be sure to visit our news page every day at panhandlescanner.com, or our social media accounts by the same name.
 

Let's take a look at today's scanner news brought to you by R&C Welding in Gering, Nebraska. I'm your host Brian Hale and here's a look at the last 24 hours.
 
We want to start off by issuing a fire weather warning again for the next two days at least. Please be aware of the fire dangers.
 
Finally a solution is in the works. We've known about this for a while and it still isn't a complete reality but you can help make it happen. Is there a need for a mental health services inpatient treatment center here in the Panhandle? We believe so and so do thousands of others. Well we have good news. The Sandhills Center for Hope is giving the community hope and is now taking donations. Please see their page Sandhills Center for Hope or our page at Panhandle Scanner for more information about this exciting development.
 
Good news for the dog that was lost in the fiery crash that killed one I-80 traveler last month. The owner reportedly let the dog out because he feared for his life and just days later people in the community helped make this reunification possible.
 
The dog that was lost in the fiery crash has been reunited with his family. Speaking of dogs in that dog murder case in Torrington, local news reports are indicating the Goshen County Sheriff's Office has had someone turn themselves in. However to this point we do not know of any arrests or charges that have been filed.
 
We've received some stunning weather photos from contributors on Panhandle Scanner motivating us to go ahead and hold a new photo contest. If you have storm photos, submit them to the current post on Panhandle Scanner under severe storm photo contest.

Last night was another weather watch evening with thunderstorms popping up in the northern panhandle of Nebraska. Western Dawes County, Northern Sioux County, and Northwestern Cherry County all received severe thunderstorm warnings and even a tornado warning in Cherry County.
 
Special thanks in recognition to our weather admin Timothy Mendez for that content. Be sure to stay tuned to Panhandle Scanner and other local sources for emergency alerts. From that storm up in Gordon, there were several pictures of flooding sent to us by Ange Madsen Gilchrist and her niece Ash Chapman. Thank you very much for the photos of the street flooding in Gordon. 
 
 
At 5.30 pm, scanner traffic indicated a multiple vehicle accident with unknown injuries in Scotts Bluff at East 20th and First Avenue. Once responders were on scene, further traffic indicated it included four total vehicles. Only one female patient was experiencing pain and all others involved in the MVA refused medical treatment. 
 
Nebraska State Patrol troopers were also busy last night, not only stopping vehicles that were suspect to violations, but also helping those who needed assistance. In one instance, a couple ran out of gas near Big Springs and a trooper assisted them there.
 
And many times troopers are heard cleaning up debris from the highways. Thank you to the Nebraska State Patrol for their dedication out there. Trooper 431 had one female 10-15 or under arrest yesterday around 4 pm for 10-47 or DUI. She was transported to Scotts Bluff County Jail and a 10-46 or tow truck was called out of Scottsbluff.